The March of Democracy

Copied Brian Dettmer, The March of Democracy, 2010, altered books, 18 1⁄2 x 19 1⁄2 x 4 in. (47.0 x 49.5 x 10.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James F. Dicke Family, 2013.55, © 2010, Brian Dettmer

Artwork Details

Title
The March of Democracy
Artist
Date
2010
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
18 1⁄2 x 19 1⁄2 x 4 in. (47.0 x 49.5 x 10.2 cm)
Copyright
© 2010, Brian Dettmer
Credit Line
Gift of the James F. Dicke Family
Mediums Description
altered books
Classifications
Subjects
  • Allegory — civic — democracy
Object Number
2013.55
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2013.55

Artwork Description

Brian Dettmer's intricate book sculptures celebrate traditional print's tactile richness and glorious physicality. Using old volumes he finds at thrift stores and estate sales, Dettmer selectively carves and "excavates" images and text, revealing new meanings or interpretations without adding to or moving content. For The March of Democracy, Dettmer transformed the first five volumes of a series of the same title, which chronicle the history of the United States from discovery and settlement to its entry into World War II.

Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery, 2019

Related Books

4040_500.jpg
40 Under 40: Craft Futures
40 Under 40: Craft Futures examines the expanding role of the handmade in contemporary culture through the work of the next generation of artists. Organized in celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, the Smithsonian's branch museum for American craft and decorative arts, this project gathers forty makers born since 1972, the year the Renwick opened to the public. Apparent are rapidly evolving notions of craft, ranging from traditional media, such as ceramics and jewelry, to fields as varied as sculpture, industrial design, performance and installation art, fashion design, sustainable manufacturing, and mathematics.

Exhibitions

Media - 2016.11 - SAAM-2016.11_6 - 124929
Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery
November 13, 2015–March 6, 2022
Renwick Gallery
Connections is the Renwick Gallery’s dynamic ongoing permanent collection presentation, featuring more than 80 objects celebrating craft as a discipline and an approach to living differently in the modern world.